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Superfood Spotlight: Chaga

Really excited to be introducing a weekly series called ‘Superfood Spotlight.’ Every week I will highlight a superfood ingredient and talk about the key points of nutrition and what it overall does for us.

My passion for these foods is derived from Shakeology, a supplement product formulated by Darren Olien and Isabelle Daikeler. The easiest way to describe Shakeology is ’70 of the best known foods on the planet for health of the body put into one package’.

Whole food based, with prebiotics, digestive enzymes, phytonutrients and much more. I’m just so amazed with this product that I’ve dedicated a lot of my study to it and hope you find value in my sharing!

This week the ingredient is: Chaga!

Chaga is a member of the mushroom family.

Rather than soft like a mushroom, chaga is hard, almost as hard as wood. It is unique, nothing like common mushrooms. In fact, chaga is the most nutritionally dense of all tree growths. Known by the Siberians as the “Gift from God” and the “Mushroom of Immortality,” this vibrant growth has been used by humans to support health for thousands of years. The Japanese call it “The Diamond of the Forest,” while the Chinese deem it “King of Plants.” Despite this exceptional status, most Americans are unaware of it.

-Chaga has an abundance of Beta-D-Glucans which help balance the response of the body’s immune system. This means that chaga helps boosts the immune system when necessary, but slows it down when it’s overactive. This makes chaga a natural Biological Response Modifier (BRM).

-Chaga supports the integrity of blood vessels and provides soothing properties in times of irritation. This can be helpful for those suffering from pain, neuropathy, and even diabetes.

-Studies have shown that the betulinic acid found in chaga is able to break down LDL cholesterol–bad cholesterol–in the bloodstream.

Chaga is not easy to find and people often mistake the mushroom for knots in the tree or burnt patches. You’ll find chaga growing predominantly on birch trees in cold habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including northern parts of Europe, Russia, Korea, Canada, and the U.S.

In North America, Chaga is almost exclusively found on birches in the northeast. In particular, it’s most commonly found on paper and yellow birch trees. Paper birch is a common forest tree with a white bark that exfoliates in broad, curling sheets. It’s found at low and high elevations in the northeast of North America. Yellow birch is another common forest tree and usually has a yellow bark that exfoliates as small, curling shreds.

To survive in harsh climates, chaga concentrates natural compounds for its protection, and that is why it is so powerful. To strengthen the tree, as well as heal, it makes potent phytochemicals, including sterols, phenols, and enzymes. Researchers have inoculated sick trees with chaga to strengthen them. People benefit by consuming these forest-source phytochemicals and nutrients.

In Conclusion

Chaga Mushrooms are a powerful Superfood responsible of SO many things for one’s health including antioxidants, bad cholesterol fighting properties, cell and tissue recovery, energy, cardiovascular health and more!!

If you are interested in more or trying Shakeology, please contact me -Here-